Drake Faces Deposition In XXXTentacion Murder Trial
Back in December, prosecutors and defense attorneys submitted a potential witness list that included a number of celebrities with relationships and/or feuds with the late XXXTentacion. The defense attorney for Dedrick Williams, Mauricio Padilla celebs listed as witnesses were Quavo, Offset, Joe Budden, late Migos rapper Takeoff, Tekashi 6ix9ine, Joe Budden, and Drake, according to court documents, per Billboard. However, at the time Broward County Judge Michael Usan didn’t initially think Drake’s presence was necessary in this case.
Due to a feud between Drake and XXX (born Jahseh Onfroy), defense attorney Mauricio Padilla believes Drizzy is connected to his death. Last month, Padilla tried to subpoena Drake per Billboard. According to a court document obtained by the outlet, Drake failed to appear for his scheduled deposition date of Jan. 27. He is now being ordered to appear for a deposition on Feb. 24 via Zoom video. If he fails to appear again, he may be held in contempt.
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Drake’s alleged involvement in the XXX’s murder stems from a 2017 beef with the late rapper. XXX believed that Drizzy ripped off his flow on his breakout track “Look at Me” on Drake’s “KMT.” A year later, XXX posted a cryptic message on Instagram. His Instagram Story read, “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi,” tagging Drake’s Instagram handle. However, after the post was made, XXXTentacion claimed his Instagram account had been hacked. He was killed four months after the post in Deerfield Beach, Fla.
As reported by the Miami Herald, prosecutors called the move to include celebrities as potential witnesses a stunt.
“It is apparent from the deliberate, late disclosure of the defendant’s witnesses and comments made between the parties that [the] defendant intended to ‘surprise’ the state and create a trial by ambush,” wrote prosecutor Pascale Achille.
Broward Country Circuit Judge Michael Usan then demanded that Padilla explains in writing why these celebrities were relevant to the case.
“They are high-profile people. And it’s not easy for me to subpoena,” Padilla answered. “I don’t have numbers, but it doesn’t mean I won’t be able to. Trying to subpoena Drake is not easy — you need a drone.”